Rocky Mountain High

Days 4 - 5, Through the Rockies to the Front Range

After a lovely afternoon visiting our old home (now Desert Sun Vineyards) in Grand Junction, CO we headed east on I-70 through beautiful De Beque Canyon.  Carved by the Colorado River, the canyon winds a narrow path between the sedimentary layers along the river and below Grand Mesa.  We pass through the towns of Parachute, Battlement Mesa, Rifle, Silt and New Castle and marvel at how much each has changed over recent years, This is ranching and mining (coal, oil shale) country. 

 

Parachute CO

Our initial destination is Glenwood Springs, one of my favorite places in the whole world.  We enjoy a soak in the pools and enjoy our views of the red rocks surrounding the canyon.

Glenwood Hot Springs

The warm pool

The hot pool

If you are a fan of the Wild West, Glenwood is the site of Doc Holliday’s grave, however some dispute it.  Just south of Glenwood, nestled between the Sawatch and Elk Ranges, is the town of Aspen.  Founded as a mining camp during Colorado’s silver boom, it is now best known for its four ski areas and home to many celebrities.  Let’s just say we could never afford to live in or around Aspen with some of the highest real estate prices in the country!

Immediately east of Glenwood Springs is Glenwood Canyon, one of the last pieces of the interstate to be completed in the US.  Sections of the 17-mile canyon road are double decked and all of it flows through beautiful White River National Forest.  Carved by the Colorado River, the mouth of the Roaring Fork is on the west end and the east end is at Dotsero, where the Eagle River flows into the Colorado.  The canyon is peppered with rafting and kayak expeditions and the river alternates between muddy brown full of sediments, and a clear mountain stream.  This canyon always evokes a sense of admiration and reverence; truly a beautiful drive.

Glenwood Canyon

Red Rocks outside Glenwood

 Leaving the Canyon, we are immediately struck with the growth of the Eagle Valley.  Once just a pretty ranching valley it is now booming with the tiny communities of Dotsero and Gypsum, not so tiny anymore!  Eagle, Minturn, and Wolcott have all experienced boom growth.  Avon and Edwards, once barely more than truck stops, are now thriving communities leading to Colorado’s ski country.  All of these communities once had several trailer parks, home to the thousands of seasonal ski area workers.  Now the communities are booming with neighborhood housing areas and the infrastructure necessary for the small towns.

 

Beaver Creek and Vail have filled the valley, with beautiful homes, condos, and amenities; the ski runs lace the mountainsides.  All of the Colorado mountain towns are now year-around resorts with beautiful golf courses, biking and hiking trails, and of course all the natural beauty of the Rockies. 

Vail

We can’t help but wish we’d bought property years ago in the Eagle Valley . . . oh yes, in 1983 we bought a timeshare in Vail.  We had some good family times staying there and back then it was the only way we could afford to stay in Vail for a ski vacation.  We can’t imagine what skiing costs now, let alone staying for a week.  No wonder the timeshare industry continues to thrive!

Vail Pass

Although 10, 650’ elevation, Vail Pass, in the summer, is an easy and lovely drive.  We stopped at the top to admire the views and at the suggestion of a biker decided to drive over to Breckenridge to find a hotel for the night.  Bob always enjoyed skiing Breck (years ago!) because it had broad runs and seemed geared more to the intermediate level skier.  Maybe it still has that reputation?  Regardless, the town is still a pleasant place to be; wish we had more time!  Our insight for today . . . why aren’t we taking more time to enjoy the CO places we love?  We are retired after all, and time should not be an issue!  There's always more places we'd like to see.

Summit County Courthouse

Ski runs in background

The next morning we continue onward, driving past Dillon Reservoir (Silverthorne) and up the long push to the Eisenhower Tunnel, a dual bore, four lane tunnel at over 11,000’ elevation under the Continental Divide.  It’s one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world, the longest mountain tunnel on the interstate system and also one of the last stretches to be completed in 1979.  I have a personal connection to the tunnel; my father used to do concrete testing during the construction phase.  It is a monumental piece of highway.

Overlooking Dillon Reservoir

Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel

Exiting the tunnel, it is downhill from here as we wind through Clear Creek Canyon.  This is American West and also silver and gold mining country.  Georgetown hosts Buffalo Bill Daze every September; his grave is on Lookout Mountain outside Golden.  There are several mines in the area, including the Edgar Mine, which is the experimental mine owned by Colorado School of Mines (Bob’s alma mater, Class of ‘69).  He spent many hours learning to be a mucker and a miner underground at that mine!

Bob & Fellow Alum @ Edgar Mine

Clear Creek Canyon

Passing through the Dakota Hogback we drop into the greater Denver suburbs along the Front Range.  Taking C-470 in front of Morrison we have a view of Red Rocks, recently named a National Monument.  It’s a great hiking area but also a venue for concerts and Easter sunrise services.

Denver is a big urban sprawl of about 2.5 million population in the metropolitan area.  At a mile high the city butts up to the foothills and stretches eastward across the high plains.  Downtown Denver (near the Capitol) is the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. 
 

Colorado Capitol with Golden Dome

The skyline is marked with high rises and there seems to be no end to the growth of the suburbs.  Over the years we have both spent a lot of time in the greater Denver area so it’s easy for us to get around.  We’ll be spending several days along the Front Range from Denver up to Fort Collins and look forward to visiting family and friends.  I’m home in the traditional sense but I know this isn’t where I belong.  My roots are here in Colorado but my heart is now in WA.